The Answer
by Bulldust
Summary: Three wolves, all living with past tragedies, find solace in each other's company in the frigid land of the North.


A white paw stepped onto the ice, followed by a short huff. A snow white she wolf stood on the fringe of a massive glacier, deep in the summit of the mountain slopes. The blazing summer sun casted the surface in a slick sheen, shining brightly in the midday sunlight. The she wolf's brown eyes scanned the ice for any movement, then returned back to the red trail before her.

A smaller wolf appeared next to the she wolf, a pup with a soft gray coat, "What is that Nanuq?"

Nanuq tilted her head down and gave the pup's head a lick, "This is a glacier. It's a large piece of ice that always stays, even in summer."

The pup nodded and returned her gaze back towards the thinning blood on the slick glacier. Nanuq took another step onto the ice, then turned to the pup, "You must be very careful Lo. The ice is slippery, and there are many cracks and breaks that you can fall in. Stay by me at all times."

The smaller wolf nodded, and skidded after the arctic wolf as they trekked after their prey. The duo had travelled across the land for many months, leaving Slough Creek far behind them. Little Lo was no longer a pudgy pup; the small cub had grown into her summer legs and formed muscle from long distance travelling. But she was still a small pup, and she was still so vulnerable.

Said pup slipped onto the freezing blood, staining her fur. Nanuq turned to give her a few grooming licks, before following the trail once again. Since Nanuq was a lone adult with a young pup to take care of, she couldn't risk going out to hunt the large herds of elk and caribou that dotted the landscape. Instead they mainly scavenged and hunted down smaller prey while they kept moving north. They were having a relatively easy time scavenging meals, until they left the main pack territories behind. Now carrion was hard to come by, and their long journey was taking a toll on them. Their last meal was four days ago, and the arctic wolf knew she had to hunt something for her and Lo to survive. And so, they turned to the mountainous peaks, where the wild sheep lived. What little prey they did find, Nanuq missed. She didn't dare venture too far from Lo and often abandoned the chase. This time, Nanuq managed to tear into a ewe's side, and the she wolves were now tracking the bleeding sheep in the frozen terrain.

The glacier seemed to groan as the wolves travelled further onto the frozen expanse. Some patches of ice were brittle and broke under their sliding paws. They crept along the ice until they spotted the ewe lying in a pool of its own blood. Unfortunately, the sheep saw the wolves as well, and scrambled to get away. Nanuq broke into a shaky run across the ice as the ewe slipped towards the edge of the glacier. There the ice was decaying, and the sheep gained traction on the crushable surface. Nanuq followed quickly after her prey as Lo struggled to keep up on the smooth ice.

By the time Lo managed to get towards the rough edge Nanuq was well over a hundred yards off. The pair were separated by many breaks and cracks in the thawing ice. The pup was about to jump one, but remembered about the dangers of falling in. Anxious about getting left behind, the pup began to pace and whine, staring at the rift that held her back.

A sigh of relief left her as soon as she looked up to see Nanuq had grabbed the ewe by the rear. The sheep bleated and bellowed as it tried to shake the she wolf off, but Nanuq was firm. She began tugging at the sheep's rump, shaking her head vigorously to deepen the wounds. Moments later their prey dropped to its belly, and the arctic wolf was quick to bite down on its neck.

Lo gave a victorious bark that was deafened by a sudden thunder of noise. She felt the ice shake under her paws and she gave a cry of fear. Nanuq had dropped the sheep and was crouched low as the ice began to crack under her paws.

The older she wolf broke into a sprint as the ice started to slide downward towards the lake below. She jumped and scaled the falling ice as she tried to get to Lo. Said pup was already scrambling away from the breaking edges, and turned back to see Nanuq struggling. With a massive leap, the she wolf flew towards Lo and her forpaws scrapped the cliff's edge.

The decaying ice broke threw her claws completely, and the arctic wolf was sent plummeting towards the cascading ice and water down below.

She gave another long, broadcasting howl from her place on the ice shelf. Nanuq had survived the fall with some scrapes and bruises. Her largest injury was her hind leg, which has a deep gash. When she fell in the water, a jagged block of ice ripped her thigh. The she wolf nearly drowned with that wound, but she managed to climb out without getting crushed between the swaying ice blocks.

The sodden wolf was currently standing on a large block towards the edge of the tarn, and broadcasted once again for Lo to answer. It had been many hours since the glacier shelf broke, and there was still no sign of the gray felt the soft tremors of anxiety play at her heartstrings, and she continued to call from her perch.

She howled again, but was cut off by another, more distant call. This howl was much too deep and foreign to be Lo's, and the she wolf immediately silenced herself. Another deep howl was called again, this time closer. Nanuq tensed as the faceless stranger tracked her location, and with her shredded leg she was doomed. The she wolf skidded off the ice block and began to hobble towards the cliffs. Lodging herself into a crevice, she hoped the fresh scent of ice and water would mute her scent.

Nanuq didn't hear any more calls to signal the stranger's position, she had to risk taking a look out. Her white head contrasted starkly against the brown cliffs, and the she wolf saw a white form in the distance. It was another arctic wolf, and it was walking towards the the glacier lake.

She debating sneaking away until she noticed a small blur next to the stranger. She felt her heart drop as she saw little Lo bounding along side the stranger. Nanuq dragged herself out in the open and towards the pair. She had to make sure Lo was okay.

Lo was trotted along side the stranger, until she noticed the she wolf. With a happy bark she ran up to Nanuq with soft whines. The white she wolf limped up to Lo and started nosing at her fur to comfort her, and to see what that wolf did to her. Miraculously, the pup was unscathed, from the glacier fault and there were no wounds made by the wolf she walked with.

Nanuq looked up to look at the wolf face to face. He was a large, handsome male with a full white coat. Curiously, he had a brown mask and a creamy back. A sleek, black radio collar hung loosely around his neck, and he gave a friendly smile. "So, you must be the Nanuq my little friend was talking to me about, right?"

After a moment of hesitance, Nanuq gave a nod, "Yes, Lo and I were separated by a sudden event, and I was trying to find her again."

"I found her about an hour ago wandering the area looking for you, I have made sure your pup was safe from harm." The male gave a gentle smile as he sat down. And then he frowned, when he noticed the she wolf's open leg wound. "You're injured?"

She felt Lo nose at her wound with a soft whine, and she felt obliged to console both of them, "It's not life threatening. It will heal up fine with enough time. It's not the first time I've had a serious wound," she then tilted her head to emphasize her long claw scars across her face.

The male's brow furrowed in concern for the she wolf, "You won't be able to travel with your injury, it could get worse."

He was right about that, Nanuq mused. With her injury she wouldn't be able to move for a week or more. But to remain stationary would mean that Lo couldn't eat. She looked down at the pup's thin frame.

"Is there anyone to help you take care of you and your pup?" His gentle tone roused her from her thoughts.

"No, we're alone." Lo piped up next to the she wolf, and she felt herself tense. She didn't want this stranger to know how vulnerable they truly were.

"Oh, I see," the male replied. He fell silent as Nanuq nosed her her wound, then spoke up again, "I can help you take care of your pup, if you allow me to. I can make sure she eats while you two rest."

Nanuq paused in her ministrations and she looked up at the male, mulling over his offer in her head. He seemed friendly enough, and he didn't harm Lo or herself like other males did. "It would seem brash to asked for help from strangers," she answered carefully.

The male gave a gentle smile, "Then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ugrunaaluk."

True to his word, Ugrunaaluk proved very helpful in helping the pair of females. Every day while the duo rested, the male would return to them with food, be it a fresh kill or carrion. Since the she wolf and pup had been scavenging for months, they weren't particularly picky.

Now, after weeks of healing, Nanuq was back to full strength as she trotted the land, with little Lo trotting at her feet. They walked throughout the day, watching the herds of caribou in the distance.

"Can we catch one of them?"

Nanuq turned to look down at Lo as they stopped to watch a nearby herd. The she wolf glanced at the caribou, than shook her head, "It is very risky to hunt one when its only us Lo."

"But we have Ugg now," the pup said as the large male stood beside her.

The large male gave a humorous grin, "She's right, you do have 'Ugg' now."

Nanuq looked at the male, then back towards the herd in thought. "Lo, stay low until Ugrunaaluk and I come back."

The pup nodded and slunk into the grass, while the two white adults trotted towards the herd.

Ugrunaaluk gave a wheeze as a sharp kick hit his side. He doubled over and crumbled to the ground. Little Lo climbed up onto the male's belly and began to nip at his massive paws. He gave a loud whine as the two of them rolled over the ground. Nanuq watched the two of them play, and gave a soft laugh at the male's dramatic gestures.

After Ugrunaaluk decided he had enough of a beating from the energetic pup, he bounced up and grabbed a stray leg from their most recent carcass. Lo charged up and latched onto the hoof like a parasite. The larger wolf dragged her around the area as Lo was airborne, laughing along the way.

Once the pair started hunting, they've been growing stronger and travelled farther. Ugrunaaluk proved to have quite the stamina as well as the power to take down large prey. The lighter Nanuq only had to direct an unsuspecting prey animal into his waiting jaws. There were many bad hunts, but many good hunts as well, like today. The two had managed to take down a sickly cow caribou, and with no other wolf packs or predators around, they only worry they had were the carrion birds.

Ugrunaaluk panted as he dragged Lo around, and he finally stopped, dropping the leg. He gave a huff, "I think it's time you've learned how to hunt little pup." Lo was ecstatic, while Nanuq was more curious. "Here, I'm going to take the leg, and I'm going to pretend I'm a caribou that wants to kick you Make sure you don't get hit. Ready?"

Lo gave a determined nod, and the large wolf started to gently swing at the pup. Nanuq watched them bounce around each other in amusement. Any time Lo went in for a bite, Ugrunaaluk would bop her with the hoof. Lo soon gave up going for the severed leg, and started biting at Ugrunaaluk instead. The male dropped the leg with a yelp and the two started to chase each other, abandoning their lesson completely. Nanuq gave a sigh as the gentle giant raced around with little Lo. After a few moments Nanuq was tackled by the pup, and the three of them wrestled together.

Lo stared up in annoyance towards the sky, and started to make frustrated barks at the circling birds who took her rabbit. It was her very first kill that she made on her own, with some help from the adults. A pair of swooping eagles snatched it before Lo could eat it, and the little wolf was currently trying to jump at them. Ugrunaaluk gave a laugh, while Nanuq had a brow creased in slight worry. The eagles had food and wouldn't waste their time with Lo, but there was always the chance one of them could snatch her too.

The pair watched the bounding pup, before the larger male began small talk, "So, who is her father?"

"Hm?" Nanuq turned to the wolf beside her, who had lowered her ears at her response.

"I apologize if I struck a nerve,"

"No, you're fine." She gave the wolf a gentle nudge, continuing. "Lo is not my blood kin. I found her as a little pup down in Slough Creek, she was washed up in a river. We waited for her family, but they never returned."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ugrunaaluk rumbled, "Did you say Slough? As in the valley in Yellowstone?" The she wolf nodded, and he continued, "I was all over Yellowstone when I was relocated there. I've only left just this year and found you two."

Nanuq nodded, "Why were you relocated?"

The male gave pause, then continued, "I think you know by now I'm not a full arctic wolf. I do not know why I was moved away from my family, but if I had to guess, it was probably my fur color."

"You have family up north?"

He gave a fond smile, looking out across the land. "Yes, my parents and my sisters. I love them dearly and wish to return to them. I've been gone for two years, but I know I'm getting closer every day."

Nanuq looked at the male's gentle expression at the thought of his family, "What would happen if you were relocated again?"

Ugrunaaluk turned and casted the she wolf in a warm, open expression, "Then I would return back to them. Nothing can separate me from my loved ones."

Nanuq gave a soft smile back as she looked into his honey eyes, and she heard Lo trot up to join them.

The cool fall winds brushed into Nanuq's coat as she dozed in the fading light. The coming winter season began to cast longer shadows, and shorter days. Lo had found an abandoned fox burrow, and had decided to snuggle herself into the den to avoid the cold. Nanuq was fine with Lo resting alone, the arctic wolf missed the cold days of winter, and the soft breeze felt nice on her fur.

She heard soft footsteps, and rose to see Ugrunaaluk walking with something in his jaws. She smiled at him and he gave a friendly nod, before placing the objects before her. She looked down to find a pair of half frozen eggs. She nosed at the eggs in surprise, "Where did you manage to find a cache?"

Ugrunaaluk gave a grin and laid down next to her, "I followed a fox this morning and tracked it towards its cache, it was a pretty big one too with all sorts of food. I got one for you and Lo, since I know you wouldn't eat something without her."

Nanuq gave a gentle smile towards the male, "Thank you Ugrunaaluk, this is so thoughtful of you. Did you get yourself an egg as well?" She asked as she nosed at the cold shells.

"There were only two eggs, I thought it would be better to have you and Lo eat one." He replied.

The she wolf stopped nosing at the eggs and turned to look at the male. He looked sheepish in the soft lighting and he looked away. Nanuq looked down at the eggs once again and tucked one to the side. She brought the other closer to the male, "It would be rude of me not to share."

Now it was Ugrunaaluk's turn to look surprised, and then his visage became warm and genuine. He shuffled closer to the she wolf as they shared the half frozen egg. Their muzzles brushed against each other as they lapped at the rich yolk inside. When they were done, the male had a splotch of yellow on his muzzle, which Nanuq gently cleaned without hesitation. The two spent the rest of the night in each other's company.

The white male remembered a landmark that was close to his home. Along the mountain ridges lied a particular peak that resembled a mousing fox. Nanuq expected Ugrunaaluk to be excited at the familiar peak, it meant he was finally going home. Instead, he was fidgety and anxious. At some moments, it looked like he wanted to tell her something, but couldn't muster the will to. Finally, Nanuq decided that she was done waiting for him, and went to confront him on his strange behavior.

After the trio had brought down a musk ox calf in their most recent hunt, Nanuq ushered Ugrunaaluk to the side, leaving Lo to eat her fill. The little pup knew they wanted privacy, so she took her time picking at the tender flesh. Ugrunaaluk looked away from Lo and Nanuq, instead looking out at the Mousing Peak in silence.

"Are you okay?" Nanuq asked in a soft tone.

He turned to her and gave her a weak smile, "I'm fine. We are very close to my pack's territory. I will see them any day now."

"You don't seem very happy about it," Nanuq mused, and she saw Ugrunaaluk's facade falter.

"Believe me when I say I a truly excited to see my family. It has been two years, and I am finally back," his eyes grew sad, "but after the months that I have spent with you and Lo, it helped fill the hole left by my pack. To return to my blood family would mean I leave this one."

Nanuq was silent, taking the time to mull over his words as flurries began to drift in the breeze. Ugrunaaluk truly was a special part in both of their lives. It gave Lo a father figure to look up to, and for herself, she had a close friend. Perhaps something even more. The male's rumbling voice continued.

"I've, been thinking, about this question a lot lately, but I was too ashamed to ask. I must get this weight off my chest, before I regret it for the rest of my life." Nanuq gave him her full attention.

"I'm barren. I've had an accident earlier this year, and I no longer have the ability to sire pups of my own." He closed his eyes and continued, "Raising a litter of my own has been one of my biggest dreams in life. To find a mate and settle down. But I can't, not anymore. Nanuq," he opened his eyes, and it felt like he was staring right through her soul, "If I weren't barren, I would ask you to be mine forever. But I don't want to burden you with my ailment. You deserve a future with a partner who would offer you all the pups in the world."

The male fell silent, and he looked down at his feet. Nanuq was still, and then she stood up. The larger wolf expected her to leave, and was shocked to find a warm tongue glossing over his face. He looked up in worried bemusement to meet Nanuq's gentle eyes, "I've already had enough pups in my life. You have nothing to fear Ugg, you aren't a burden to anyone."

Ugrunaaluk's eyes softened at her answer, "Does that mean?"

Nanuq pulled away from her grooming and gave him a gentle smile, "Lo and I have no home, no land to claim as our own. It would be nice to have Lo play with other wolves and be safe." She closed the distance and gave his brow a gentle nuzzle, "And I want to stay with you for a long time."

Ugrunaaluk swept her off her feet in a flurry of nuzzles and kisses. His tail was waving a mile a minute and he whined into the she wolf's chest. Nanuq thought his heart would burst from so much love and relief at that very moment.

Lo lifted her head from the carcass in confusion to see the adult's all over each other. The curious pup trotted up to the arctic wolves, "What's happening?"

The large male let off the she wolf and cuddled the pup close, his voice full of joy, "You two are going to join my family." Lo's tail thumped in excitement at the prospect of meeting his family. The little group nestled close as the first snow of the season softly fell around them.

Author's Note: A cuddly one this time around. Ugrunaaluk, Nanuq, and Lo all belong to me.

If you want to have a better expierence reading and get to know more about the lore of my characters, visit my amino profile here: /c/wolfquest/page/user/bulldust-is-busy/JJBm_EXI0fV7pM6J5dJ8mmDxL8BerXB6dWHm


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